#WhatsHappening for Friday, May 20, 2016

Yeah, so I've been out of touch. You're not paying for content- get over it!

Actually, I've been really busy at my day job (no, karaoke isn't what I do for a living) and this week, I finally managed to get my new car (SUV, whatever) to replace my beloved Element- which was a victim of a perfectly angled, low speed collision that totaled it.

I'm still sad about the Element. I loved that thing and it's oversized Tonka toy look.

I like my new ride, too. It's a Honda HR-V (hey, the two Hondas I've had previous were fantastic cars).

If course, nothing is fast- especially when you're making that kind of purchase, so I haven't exactly had time to keep the trains running, ya know?

Prince's bright yellow "symbol" guitar, used in the "Cream" and "Gett Off" videos, is going up for auction.

The "yellow cloud" guitar- one of several Prince used in the 80s and 90s- is part of an auction that begins June 24. The opening bid on the guitar is $30,000.

The current owner of the guitars says he has "been a Prince fan since I was a little kid, and that guitar always stuck out to me because it was super cool and stylish"- of course, being a fan and owning some history pales in comparison to cashing in.

Another "yellow cloud" guitar is on display at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

Gloria Estefan says she won't be performing in her homeland of Cuba any time soon.

“I personally would find it very tough to go there,” said Estefan during a video interview that is part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum’s exhibit on music and politics that opens today.

“Whatever makes life in any way better for the Cuban people living there, I think we gotta try,” she said. “I think that people to people contact is excellent,” she added. “I know that the best way that they can survive is actually getting dollars from tourists, because that takes the government out of the equation... So hopefully, it'll open that trickle that will then burst the dam someday.”

Ms. of Arc

Former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne is bringing 15th century France to off-Broadway, with a musical based on the life of Joan of Arc.

“Everyone certainly knows how it ends, which I like,” Byrne said, but went on to say that the "story endured over centuries... (because) it's about someone- a nobody, a teenage girl- who inspired others to act, to overthrow their oppressors and take charge of their lives.” 

Byrne says he's already written the music for show, and that it will premiere next spring at New York City’s Public Theater.

Guns N' Roses has announced that Alice In Chains will open for them in Detroit, Washington DC, Kansas City and Chicago on their upcoming tour, while Lenny Kravitz will kick things off at their Foxboro and East Rutherford gigs.

Birthdays today include:  Busta Rhymes; Tom Garman of Belly; Jane Wiedlin of The Go-Go's; and Cher. #MusicalBirthdays